The Rangers Tribune

False Rumors, Postgame Quotes, and Supporting a Good Cause

A few things to share with you on this Halloween Sunday. First off, there was a false rumor floating around that Ranger prospect Mats Zuccarello-Aasen was returning to the Swedish Elite League this season. This was coming from a Swedish Newspaper, so at first it seemed believable. However, Jesse Spector of the Daily News confirms that it is, in fact, false and Zuccarello-Aasen will be staying right here in North America playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.

Meanwhile, here are some postgame quotes following last night's 2-0 win over the Leafers courtesy of Blue Notes....

Lundqvist on passing Mike Richter on the Rangers' all-time shutout list: "It's special,” said Lundqvist, in his fifth season. “He's (Richter) been around for a long time, such a big part of this organization. Now I've got to keep going with a couple more."

Ryan Callahan on his penalty shot: "had an idea of what I wanted to do...same move as last year. Don't tell anybody."

Brian Boyle on his first period goal: “I kind of blindly threw it up there. I heard Hankie bangin’ (his stick on the ice), saying the PK was over. I figured (Prust would) be coming out. I also figured if he wasn’t, I could put it in a place where it would still get down. That was a lucky bounce. He came out at the right time, and he made a great play on it to handle it. And it was a good pass. I went from there.”

Lastly, yesterday I was contacted by a reader of the blog that was seeking some help. A friend of his has a 7-year-old son with a sensory disorder, and is in the running for a VIP day at Neyland Stadium, home of the Tennessee Vols. I know this is not hockey related, but we here at The Rangers Tribune are one giant family.  So, I ask that you guys please submit your vote to help this family out upon their request. More information on the cause and how to vote can be found HERE.

Thank You!

Pregame Notes: Rangers at Maple Leafs, 10/30/10

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The roller coaster has already begun for the New York Rangers this season, as they hold a 4-4-1 record heading into tonight's contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. The team has now lost back-to-back games after being defeated by the Thrashers on Wednesday and the Hurricanes last night, both on Madison Square Garden ice. Getting out of town and playing at an away arena may be the best thing for the Blueshirts at the moment, especially since they came away with two points in Toronto just over a week ago.

Rangers Lineup:

Dubinsky - Anisimov - Callahan
Frolov - Stepan - Prust
Avery - Boyle - Fedotenko
Boogaard - Christensen - Grachev

Staal - Rozsival
Del Zotto - Girardi
Gilroy - Eminger

Lundqvist
Biron

Scratches: Mike Sauer, Todd White, Marian Gaborik (shoulder), Chris Drury (broken finger)

I wouldn't expect any changes to the Rangers' lineup tonight, since the team did not play bad against Carolina despite losing the game. Offensively they were fantastic, but also fantastic was Cam Ward. If the forwards can put the same pressure on the Leafs, something tells me they will not be able to handle it as well as Carolina did.

The Dubinsky - Anisimov - Callahan trio continues to heat up, scoring another two goals in Friday's tilt. These three have been very productive together and it all goes back to giving a full out effort. There is no lackadaisical play when the first line is on the ice, but rather a storm of speed and physicality. It is paying off right now and they are showing no signs of slowing down.

Defensively is where the Rangers need work. Henrik Lundqvist stood on his head yesterday, but still wound up losing thanks to a bad call by the officials, but more importantly horrid play in front of him by his defensemen. I don't know where the D that was here during the three-game winning streak has went, but they are MIA right now.

Hopefully Henrik did not let that loss to the 'Canes get to his head. He was very frustrated at the final buzzer and it would be bad news if he carried that over into tonight. I doubt it did, though, since he is usually pretty good at clearing out his mind and getting focused for the task at hand. He needs support, however, and that is the bottom line. The guy cannot do it all out there, the players in front of him need to help out.

Scouting the Maple Leafs:

We are very familiar with the Leafs by now, as this will be the third meeting with them this month. Their biggest strength is defense, literally and figuratively. They have an unlimited amount of size and strength on the blue-line, making it very difficult for the opposition to create legitimate scoring chances down low. That is why the Rangers will need to be physical on offense and fight their way to the net. There really is no other way of doing it against this team.

They also need to be sure to keep Toronto to the outside on the rush, or even better, slow them down in the neutral zone. The Leafs' transition from defense to offense is incredible and gives them many odd-man rush opportunities. New York needs to trap them in the neutral zone and not let them come in 2 on 1 or 3 on 1 in the offensive zone.

Opponent Blog: Pension Plan Puppets

Projected Goaltender Match-Up: J-S Giguere (TOR) vs Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)

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Postgame: Lundqvist Blanks Leafs, Rangers Win 2-0

Reuters Pictures

The Rangers jumped right back on the winning track with a 2-0 defeat of the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, after dropping two straight this past week to Atlanta and Carolina. This win gives New York their tenth and eleventh points in the standings, placing them at seventh in the Eastern Conference for the time being. A nice way to finish off the first month of the season, because they have a tough schedule coming up in November.

The first period opened with Brandon Prust, despite the bruised eye, dropping the gloves with Mike Komisarek. It was a good fight until Komisarek decided to use a wrestling move to take down Prust and then proceed to throw two cheap shots once they both fell to the ice. Prust would later pay the Leafs back by leading Brian Boyle into the offensive zone with a light touch pass, which Boyle took to the net and roofed over the shoulder of J-S Giguere to give the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead. The speed displayed by Boyle on that play was incredible, so fast that Giguere did not even have time to get over to the post before the shot was taken.

The second period was all defense and all Henrik Lundqvist. Hank made 18 saves in the period, but what made the difference was the fact that he did not have to deal with many rebounds. His defensemen, for a change, cleared the crease of all loose pucks and all opposing players. Ryan Callahan then scored an insurance goal on a penalty shot, which he was awarded upon being tripped on a breakaway. No player on the team deserved a penalty shot opportunity more than Callahan, because he was again working hard all night. That goal would be his fourth of the season and put the Rangers up 2-0 heading into the second intermission.

King Henrik continued his dominance in the third period, when the Leafs tried hard to make a comeback. The Rangers did a great job of trapping Toronto in the neutral zone and when they did get through to the offensive zone, Henrik had an answer for every shot he faced. Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky were great in the final minutes of the third, clearing the zone everytime Toronto tried entering it.

Lundqvist captured his first shutout of the season tonight, and the 25th of his marvelous career. That puts Lundqvist ahead of my personal all-time favorite Ranger, Mike Richter, on the list of career shutouts as a Blueshirt. It is not easy for a goaltender to stand on his head one night, and then have to go and do the same thing just 24 hours later. That is what Hank did at the Air Canada Centre this evening, so he deserves a lot of credit for his effort.

Ryan Callahan continues to play spectacular hockey and again was a major leader on the ice tonight. Whether it was penalty killing, forechecking or just hitting, Ryan did it all and was deservedly awarded a penalty shot goal, which gives him goals in four straight games. Not to mention he is also the team’s leading scorer at the moment.

Brandon Prust and Brian Boyle also stood out to me in this tilt. First of all, Prust going after Komisarek with an injured eye speaks volumes of the heart and soul this guy plays with on a nightly basis. Selfishly, not many players would do that, especially when they are going up against someone much larger and stronger than them. But that doesn’t matter to Prust. He is all about giving himself up for the club.

Brian Boyle, who has also played a physical role this season, showed his offensive side yet again. His beautiful backhander puts him at four goals on the season (ten games), which was his season total in 71 games played in 2009-10. Boyle has transformed right before our eyes, and with key guys out with injuries on offense, Boyle’s secondary scoring has been a huge help.

The entire defense played an all-around better game than they did against Carolina on Friday. Like I said above, Lundqvist did not have to deal with very many rebounds thanks to the play in front of him. Also, they limited the odd-man rushes against, which wasn’t the case earlier in the week versus the Thrashers and Hurricanes.

New York will have Sunday off, but are back in action on Monday when they host the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. That will be the beginning to a very difficult schedule in the month of November, but a win would be a sure confidence booster.

Torts Hits the Nail on the Head

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I was reading through some postgame quotes following Wednesday's loss to the Atlanta Thrashers at Madison Square Garden, and when doing so found a very honest assessment of the team from the coach. He was referring to the club's overall effort and what they need to bring to the table in order to win on a nightly basis. Take a look for yourself as I have included an excerpt of John Tortorella's statement from Jesse Spector's column in the Daily News, below.....

"We’re not good enough to let down,” Tortorella said. “We are not a good enough team, whether we’re healthy or not, we’re not a good enough team to have letdowns like that. We have to learn to take that next step. After we play a game like we played in our building the last game (against the Devils), we have to come back and not just do it for eight minutes. We have to do it throughout the game. There’ll be some breakdowns, but we did not play the way we needed to play, the way we’re trying to define ourselves by playing."

"We're not good enough" - There is no question that Tortorella has been a controversial head coach since his arrival in New York, but one thing I have learned to appreciate is his honesty and lack of sugar-coating. What you see above is a perfect example of that, and is also a precise analysis of this hockey team.

The New York Rangers simply do not have the skill level of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals or San Jose Sharks. They do not have a solidified build like Philadelphia Flyers or Chicago Blackhawks. They are once again a mediocre team with a few standout stars, which has been the case for the last three or so years. But this does not mean they cannot have success.

What Tortorella is trying to say is that the players need to make up for the lack of skill and lack of depth in the lineup by bringing a 110 percent effort night in and night out. They are not going to win games by overpowering teams, but rather by outworking them. The Blueshirts were outworked by Atlanta on Wednesday, which is why they deserved to lose.

You see young and inexperienced teams surprising many with their play nowadays, and that is usually because of their work ethic. You have seen it right here in New York with the Islanders. They do not have a 4-3-2 record because they are "good", especially since three of their best players were out with injuries at the time when they led the entire Eastern Conference. They held that position because coach Scott Gordon makes them work their behinds off with no excuses.

That is how the Rangers need to be, and that is what Tortorella means when he says they need to "take that next step". That next step is giving a full effort for a complete sixty minutes. On Wednesday we are only saw effort in the first and last ten minutes of the game. Twenty minutes out of sixty just isn't going to cut it.

Rangers - Canes pregame notes coming your way later....

Pregame Notes: Hurricanes at Rangers, 10/29/10

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The Rangers had their three game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday, when they were defeated by the Atlanta Thrashers at Madison Square Garden. A lack luster effort throughout a majority of the contest cost them two points in the standings and head coach John Tortorella was not happy about it. Tonight they will look to start up a new streak when they faceoff with the 4-4-0 Carolina Hurricanes on home ice, where they have not been too hot this season. The 'Canes will also look to get in the win column after they were shutout, 3-0, by the Capitals earlier in the week.

Rangers Lineup:

Dubinsky - Anisimov - Callahan
Frolov - Stepan - Prust
Avery - Boyle - Fedotenko
Christensen - White - Grachev

Staal - Rozsival
Del Zotto - Girardi
Gilroy - Eminger

Lundqvist
Biron

Scratches: Mike Sauer, Derek Boogaard (cut finger), Marian Gaborik (shoulder), Chris Drury (broken finger)

Henrik Lundqvist should be back in goal for the Rangers since Martin Biron started on Wednesday to give Hank the night off. Lundqvist never seems to disappoint after sitting out a game, and he was getting into his groove in the two games prior to Wednesday's. I am expecting a big performance from Henrik this evening, and if the team decides to play with the effort they did against Atlanta, they will need him to be magnificent.

Artem Anisimov will be in the lineup despite taking a puck off the ankle against the Thrashers. He left that tilt in the second period and did not return. But Thursday's MRI churned out good results and it was determined that Artie was okay to skate. Anisimov has been by far the club's best center to this point, so they are fortunate he did not have to sit out long-term.

Derek Boogaard, on the other hand, has a cut on his finger that did not heal properly. Tortorella says the "Boogie Man" will be a game-time decision, but in case he cannot play, Evgeny Grachev was called up from Hartford (AHL) Thursday afternoon. I am hoping Grachev gets to play tonight, because the more NHL action he sees the better it will be for his development.

Also, the offensive line combinations you see above were what Tortorella put together in practice yesterday. Derek Stepan moves to Frolov's line while Boyle slid up to the Avery line. Christensen, on the other hand, drops to the fourth as he has not impressed the coaches.

Scouting the Hurricanes:

The Hurricanes currently have a .500 record on the season and their play has been indicative of that. They are twentieth in the league in goals against per game, but at the same time are twenty-seventh in goals scored per game. Obviously that is a problem right there, since they are allowing more goals than they are scoring. The Rangers, who are second in goals scored per game, need to throw shots to the net from all angles tonight. Dirty goals or pretty ones, the Blueshirts will take them.

The Hurricanes generally are not a good team once the trail by a margin, so New York will want to get the lead quickly and hold onto it. During their win streak, they were able to do that very well.

Opponent Blog: Canes Country

Projected Goaltender Match-Up: Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) vs Cam Ward (CAR)

Postgame: Rangers Fall Short of Canes, 4-3, for Second Straight Loss

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The biggest fear of a team coming off a winning streak is how they will rebound once it is terminated. Well, the Rangers are 0-2-0 since their three game victorious run and find themselves dropping yet another two points one home ice. But unlike Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, the Rangers gave a solid effort on this night. There were other factors in the game that decided the result, and some were out of the Rangers’ control.

At 15:29 of the first period, Tuomo Ruutu scored on the powerplay for Carolina when he one-timed a beautiful pass from Anton Babchuk to the back of the net. I had to rewind the play and watch it several times, because that feed from Babchuk was incredible. That would be the only tally in the first, but a slew were about to come in the second.

It started with rookie Jeff Skinner capitalizing on a lucky bounce 56 seconds into the stanza. Now down 2-0, Ryan Callahan answered by working hard in front of the net and buried his third of the season by using his sharp hand-eye coordination. Marc Staal followed that up with a powerplay goal of his own to tie things at two, but that did not last long with Skinner netting his second of the night when he outwaited Lundqvist on a breakaway (rare). Off a pass from Callahan, Dubinsky answered with a rocket of a wrister over the shoulder of Ward. That had things locked up at three heading into the third.

Erik Cole found the winner in the third on the powerplay. That powerplay, though, was a bit controversial since the call on the play did not have to be made. Skinner felt Brian Boyle’s stick around his waist and held onto it and fell, drawing the penalty. It was blatant and the ref did not have to call it, but he did and it cost the Rangers the game.

Both goaltenders played unbelievably well in the contest, but in the end, Cam Ward bested King Henrik. Ward’s 40 saves, without a doubt in my mind, is the reason the Hurricanes are walking away with a win tonight. The Rangers put a season-high 43 shots on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net behind Ward more than three times. At that point, you have to stop blaming yourself and just give a nod to the goaltending performance between the pipes. Ward was incredible tonight and he deserves praise for that.

Lundqvist stood on his head as well (34 saves), and appeared frustrated with his teammates for the lack of support he was given. Several times he was forced to make a series of three, four or even five straight saves without a defenseman clearing the crease or challenging the opponent. The defense we saw during the winning streak has gone missing in action, starting with Michael Del Zotto.

In my opinion, Del Zotto needs a night off. Not as punishment, but just so he can collect himself and pull things together here. He does not have confidence, he cannot control the puck and luck is not on his side by any means right now. I think a game in the press box, watching from an overhead perspective, will get him thinking and eventually will reset his mind.

Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky were again buzzing on offense. Callahan recorded his third goal in three straight games, while Dubinsky netted his fifth of the season. With Gaborik, Prospal, and Drury out these two have emerged as the club’s main source of offense. That is good and bad. Good because it means they are playing well, but also bad because coach Tortorella’s best offensive players are a couple of second/third liners.

Which brings me to my next point, and that is how much the Rangers would have loved Marian Gaborik in the lineup tonight. When a goalie is as hot as Ward, your superstars are usually the ones to come through. When New York needed the tying goal in the third period, having Gaborik out on the ice would have increased the chances of them actually getting it greatly. That quick release of his is sometimes impossible to stop, no matter who is in goal. But we will have to wait a few more weeks until he is back, unfortunately.

I thought Evgeny Grachev skated well, and most of all, was very physical. If you know me well you will know by now that I quickly fall in love with players who use the body. Grachev tossed his weight around whenever he got the chance tonight, and I appreciate that. That is him trying to make an impression on the coaching staff with the limited opportunity he has to do so. I am sure Torts and Company took notice of it.

Thankfully the Rangers do not have to sit on this one for a while since they will take a plane out to Toronto tonight, where they will faceoff with the Maple Leafs for the third time this month on Saturday. The Blueshirts have been good on the road, so hopefully two points will be there’s at the Air Canada Centre.

Anisimov Good to Go, Grachev Recalled

In last night's loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, Artem Anisimov exited the game in the second period after taking a shot off the ankle. He did not return and complained about the pain getting worse following the contest when talking with the media. Thankfully, Andrew Gross is reporting via twitter that Anisimov's MRI was "good" today and he will be good to go for Friday's match against the Carolina Hurricances at MSG. This is great news for the Blueshirts since they do not want yet another of their top offensive players to go down with an injury.

Defenseman Michal Rozsival, who hurt his knee in the third period against Atlanta, is also fine and expected to be in the lineup tomorrow.

Adding to the injury list, enforcer Derek Boogaard cut his finger on Saturday in Boston and apparently will be a game-time decision on Friday. In case he is unable to play, the Rangers have recalled forward Evgeny Grachev from the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). Grachev performed well in the preseason and if in the lineup, will look to make a good impression on the coaching staff.

Rebuilding in NY May be Easier Than You Think

AP Photo

When the topic of a rebuild is brought up in conversation, your typical New York Rangers fan will tell you that it would never work here. They will tell you that too much money would be lost, the fans would not be able to embrace a weak team in order to eventually create a stronger one, and the whole idea of building from within would not be understood. I, personally, never agreed with that statement and have always been open to a rebuild when it comes to the Rangers.

John Buccigross of ESPN wrote about this same topic recently, explaining why a rebuild in New York may be easier than some think. Here is what he had to say...

I keep hearing over the years that you can't rebuild in New York. I've never, ever, understood this. If there is one place you can rebuild, it is here. The fans are smart and passionate. They would be able to see the picture. Their winter sports teams have been dreadfully bad or dreadfully boring. They have so much revenue from Madison Square Garden and are so insulated from Cablevision and the megalopolis that the Rangers are the easiest franchise to rebuild. And I think the fans would embrace a young, scrappy, up-and-coming team. I know they would.

I first would like to thank John for actually admitting that Ranger fans are smart. Due to the people that boo Rozsival when he plays well and involve themselves in other foolish acts along those lines, there is a common misconception around the league that we lack intelligence when it comes to our team. It is not only the fans of other teams that think this, either, as much of the Canadian media presents us that way as well. Thankfully Mr. Buccigross is not like the others and can admit that we know our stuff.

Anyway, as he states in this article, the Rangers have not been a "good" hockey team since the 90's. A "good" hockey team is well rounded, has the ability to finish atop their Division and actually has a shot at winning the Stanley Cup. The Blueshirts have not been the favorites to win a Cup for over a decade now, and I think the fans would accept a few bad seasons as a part of a rebuild in order to change that.

Mediocre is the most popular word used when describing the Rangers. They are not good, not bad, but in the middle. In the middle is not good enough anymore. We, as fans, want more than a first round exit. We want more than a record just slightly over .500. We want more than seventh or eighth in the Conference. The only way to fulfil those wants is by rebuilding, and I believe GM Glen Sather and Company are well on their way in doing so.

More and more youth is being inserted into the lineup each and every year, while less and less free agents are being signed on July 1st. It may not be a full-blown makeover, but it is a modified version - Glen Sather's version. With all of the young talent waiting to emerge as stars in the minors and Juniors, the Rangers have the ability to become a powerhouse in the future. A few 'so-so' seasons will be accepted by the fan base. Just as long as management stays the course, and and does not veer off the tracks due to distractions (Brad Richards, Sheldon Souray, etc.).

Rangers - Thrashers pregame notes coming up later....

Pregame Notes: Thrashers at Rangers, 10/27/10 (Update)

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The New York Rangers have turned a poor start to the 2010-11 season into a good one in the matter of a week. 4-2-1 is the Blueshirt's record right now, but before their three-game winning streak this past weekend, they were 1-2-1 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Now they face a tough schedule against the Atlanta Thrashers and Carolina Hurricanes - both at Madison Square Garden - in which they will look to capture their fourth and fifth straight victories.

Rangers Lineup: (Updated @ 5 PM)

Dubinsky - Anisimov - Callahan
Frolov - Christensen - Prust
Avery - Stepan - Fedotenko
Boogaard - White - Boyle

Staal - Rozsival
Del Zotto - Girardi
Gilroy - Eminger

Biron
Lundqvist

Scratches: Mike Sauer, Marian Gaborik (shoulder), Chris Drury (broken finger)

Henrik Lundqvist played his two best games of the season on Saturday and Sunday, both of which he backstopped his club to victory in. Hank, much like the team as a whole, got off to a shaky start this year. But after a night off and a week of focusing on the little things in practice, Lundqvist buckled down and looked like his old self between the pipes. If the Rangers want to win games, they need Henrik to be at the top of his game. That is a proven fact.

Martin Biron will be in goal for the Rangers tonight instead of Henrik Lundqvist. I must admit that I am surprised at this since Henrik is coming off of his two best performances of the season. Oh well, Marty it is.

The Rangers have greatly tightened up on defense and that has contributed to their winning ways. The entire unit has been stellar and has made it very difficult for the opposition to generate legitimate scoring chances against them. For example, the New Jersey Devils were completely invisibly until the third period of Sunday's contest at MSG. Dan Girardi did a great job of controlling Ilya Kovalchuk and that affected the entire New Jersey offense. They threw basically nothing Lundqvist's way until the third period of that game.

Scouting the Thrashers:

The Atlanta Thrashers are 3-4-1 in eight games played this season, and currently sit in fourth place in the Southeast Division. Even though they dumped Ilya Kovalchuk at the deadline last year, the Thrashers have proved they can still be a dangerous team. They have some young up-and-coming talent throughout their roster that will outwork you if you do not meet their effort. The Rangers need to pressure the Thrashers on all areas of the ice, and if they do that, I believe they will walk away with two points tonight.

Opponent Blog: Blueland Blog

Projected Goaltender Match-Up: Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) vs Chris Mason (ATL)

Postgame: Winning Streak Terminated as Thrashers defeat Rangers, 6-4

AP Photo

The New York Rangers' three-game winning streak would come to an end this evening, as they were defeated by the Atlanta Thrashers at Madison Square Garden by the score of 6-4. There are some positives to pull out of this one, since it wasn't a catastrophic loss, but the effort simply was not the same as it has been, nor was it anywhere near that of the Thrashers. Porous defense and mediocre goaltending left the Blueshirts just short of a comeback and no points in the standings.

The Rangers wasted no time getting on the board in this game, scoring 38 seconds into the first period. Ryan Callahan finished an Artem Anisimov feed at the top of the crease for his second goal of the season and his second in two games. They did not let up after that, continuing their pressure-filled forecheck through the first half of the period. In the second half, though, Atlanta started to gain control of the tempo. Eventually, Bryan Little went coast to coast while dancing around the Ranger defense, ultimately ending up all alone against Biron when he slid a backhander through Marty’s legs. Ugly defense by New York on that play, but a pretty goal by Little.

Midway through the second period Evander Kane would take a touch pass from Alexander Burmistrov into the slot where he rifled a low wrister past Biron to give the Thrashers a 2-1 lead. About two minutes later Sean Avery’s hard work along the boards would pay off, as his quick-thinking wraparound beat a sliding Mason to tie things up. However, Niclas Bergfors took advantage of a Marc Staal turnover by lugging the puck down ice and sniping the corner on Biron to re-gain the lead for Atlanta, 3-2 at the end of two.

The third period started off awful for the home team, with the Thrashers scoring back-to-back goals in the first five minutes. Eric Boulton’s backhander over the shoulder of Biron was the first, while Dustin Byfuglien’s rocket slapshot was the second. It seemed as if the game was over at that point, but the Rangers still had some fight in them.

Since Artem Anisimov left the game with an injury (an ankle injury that he will need to get an MRI on), Todd White slid up to the first line between Brandon Dubinksy and Ryan Callahan. He capitalized on a lucky bounce off the back boards that landed on the tape of his stick. He buried it for his first as a Ranger. Following that Sean Avery fed Brian Boyle in front for a one-timer and the Blueshirts were only down by one; 5-4. Unfortunately they were not able to find the tying goal and Andrew Ladd scored the empty-netter in the final minute, so the Rangers’ winning streak would come to an end.

This one hurts because the team was so close to completing the comeback. I think at times they showed signs of the club we saw during the win streak, but at other times they looked like the club we saw during the losing streak. Against a young team like Atlanta, you cannot expect to win games playing like that. You need a consistent effort, and that is what John Tortorella’s squad lacked on this night.

Marty Biron was not bad in this contest. I know some people will attack him for the ones he should have stopped, but to me, there was way too much activity in front of his net. The Thrashers kept throwing their centers to the top of the crease and the Blueshirts did nothing to remove them. That was a major difference I noticed from this past weekend and tonight. The defense was not as aggressive and used their sticks more often than their bodies, which hurt them.

Anyway, Biron made some key saves in the game that allowed for his team to make the comeback. Too many defensive breakdowns led to legitimate scoring chances for Atanta, but Marty came up big on quite a few. He was not great, he was not bad, and this loss was definitely not his fault.

John Tortorella, in the second period, was forced to take one of those famous timeouts in which his face turns as red as a tomato. This was most likely due to the inconsistent effort by his players, especially when they stood around and watched the Thrashers’ younger players work the forecheck and create chances. They also did not know what to do when the Atlanta defensemen would come up on offense and pressure the Rangers in their own zone. Dustin Byfuglien was the most noticeable when doing this, as he recorded six shots on goal in the game.

Michael Del Zotto had a night to forget. His outlet passes were off the mark, he was guilty of numerous turnovers and he also coughed up the puck on the empty-netter as well. He is young, so this is routine, but I have to point it out just because it had an impact on the game.

On offense, Sean Avery stood out to me, as did the first liners (Dubinsky, Callahan, etc.). I also think upon being moved up, Todd White skated well and was great on the forecheck. If Anisimov is out long-term, you can bet Torts will consider keeping White on that line for the time being. But I am hoping Artem is able to come back as soon as possible, because he has been one of the better players on the team throughout the season.

Sean Avery’s work ethic was unbelievable tonight. The way he worked the boards and fought off the opposition was something to behold, and something that John Tortorella will greatly appreciate. His linemates, Ruslan Fedotenko and Derek Stepan, also supported him well in the offensive zone.

The Rangers are now 4-3-1 on the season and will be hosting the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday when they look to get back to their winning ways. That will not be an easy two points, either, so the Blueshirts will need a much better effort than what they displayed tonight against the Thrashers.